Subiaco vs West LeedervilleTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Subiaco (WA 6008) is approximately 3 km west of the Perth CBD. West Leederville (WA 6007) is approximately 3 km north-west of the Perth CBD, west of the Mitchell Freeway. At the 2021 Census, Subiaco had 9,940 residents with a median age of 40, and West Leederville had 4,340 residents with a median age of 38.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Subiaco and separate houses in West Leederville. Flats and apartments made up 42% of occupied dwellings in Subiaco and 34% in West Leederville, while 45% of Subiaco households rented compared with 39% in West Leederville. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
WA 6008 · Inner western suburbs of Perth
Subiaco
Subiaco is an inner western Perth suburb of heritage houses, townhouses and apartments, with an underground rail station and the Subi East renewal area.
City of Subiaco. Approximately 3 km west of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Subiaco guideWA 6007 · Inner northern suburbs of Perth
West Leederville
West Leederville is a Town of Cambridge suburb gazetted in 1998 when the Mitchell Freeway split it from Leederville, now 34.1 per cent apartments.
Town of Cambridge. Approximately 3 km north-west of the Perth CBD, west of the Mitchell Freeway.
Read the full West Leederville guide
What buying in Subiaco and West Leederville would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Subiaco and West Leederville.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Subiaco to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for West Leederville to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Subiaco and West Leederville: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Subiaco | West Leederville |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,940 | 4,340 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 40 | 38 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,219 | $2,383 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $438 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,498 | $2,276 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 45% | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 32% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 29% | 27% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 39% | 50% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 19% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 42% | 34% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 52% | 45% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 15% | 19% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 12% | 9% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Subiaco and West Leederville
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Subiaco
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Heritage List entries and heritage areas can restrict alterations, and valuers factor those limits and likely repair costs into their assessments.
- Western Australian contracts carry no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer itself.
- Narrow-lot period houses have few close comparables, so a valuation below the contract price is possible for buyers with small deposits.
- Some lenders restrict small apartments, mixed-use buildings or their total exposure to one building, which can lower the maximum loan available.
- Strata levies, the ten-year maintenance plan and the reserve fund balance affect both valuation and serviceability for apartments and townhouses.
- Off-the-plan apartments at Subi East would be valued and assessed again near settlement, so an early approval is not a guarantee of finance.
West Leederville
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- One-bedroom and studio dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Heritage listing can constrain external alterations and raise the cost of compliant repairs.
- Renting leads at 39.4 per cent, so investment lending terms apply to many purchases.
- The Mitchell Freeway on the eastern edge affects amenity for nearby properties.
Housing stock in Subiaco and West Leederville compared
Subiaco
- Period houses and cottages
- Mostly single-storey brick and weatherboard houses from the 1890s to the 1920s on narrow lots, many within designated heritage areas.
- Townhouses and terraces
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings, including Subi Centro stock, made up 863 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments
- The largest dwelling category at the 2021 Census, in low and mid-rise strata buildings, with further sites planned at Subi East.
West Leederville
- Apartments
- The 632 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 34.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Character houses
- Separate houses numbered 925 at the 2021 Census, 49.9 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- The 289 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Subiaco and West Leederville
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Subiaco
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Subiaco, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
West Leederville
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for West Leederville, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Subiaco and West Leederville
Subiaco
Transport
- Subiaco Station (train)
- West Leederville Station (train)
- Roberts Road, Hay Street and Thomas Street buses (bus)
Schools and campuses
- Subiaco Primary School (primary, government)
- Bob Hawke College (secondary, government)
- Perth Modern School (secondary, government)
Amenities
- King Edward Memorial Hospital
- St John of God Subiaco Hospital
- Lords Recreation Centre
- Subiaco Oval
- Subiaco Museum
- Rokeby Road and Hay Street town centre
West Leederville
Transport
- West Leederville Station (train)
- Leederville Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Mitchell Freeway (road)
Amenities
- Cambridge Street shops
- Leederville Town Hall
- Lake Monger
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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